Signaling device.



R. NOBUQKA. SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24. 1916.

1,21 9,346, Patented Mar. 13, law.

WITNESSES:

A TTOR/VE I SIGNALING DEVICE.

Application filed January 24,1916. Serial No. 74,025.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I,,RYorARo NoBUoKA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, and a resident of the city of Portland, county of Multnomah. State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signaling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to automobile signaling devices, and has particularly to do with semaphore arms by the dropping of which the driver of a car may signal the direction in which he is to turn to a pedestrian or driver of another car.

@no of the main objects of my invention is to provide an improved form of semaphore arm signal, in which the signal arm itself comprises a plurality of leaves, adapted to be spread into a fan-like shape when in active use, so as to provide a large surface indicator, but which, when not in use, will fold up into a body of relatively small surface, inconspicuous in appearance and occupying but small space.

The principal features of my invention consist in the construction, arrangement and operation of parts by means of which I attain the object of my invention. These features are all fullv set forth in the accompanying drawings. in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my device as used in connection with an automobile. the signal being set;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the casing in which the pivoted leaves of the signal arm are mounted:

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a larger-sized sectional elevation of the rotary housing in which the pivoted ends of the leaves are incased; this view is a side elevation viewed from the same point as Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l, but viewed from the opposite side: and Fig. 6 is a view showing the parts of Fig. 5 in elevation. instead of section.

A casing, (1, having one side open is provided with a circular head 5. The latter is made with flanged members 0 to which are attached clamps (I. the latter being adapted 'to engage the side member 6 of a windshield f, so as to hold the casing securely in vertical position at the side of the automobile. One side of the head, I), is pro- Specification of Letters Patent.

ei tee vided with a circular The other side of the ea its inner side with a position of which isxi lines it of Fig. l.

A cylindrical housing, ,i s" iwotd the head I) on the pivot Saifclzhousi'iig provided on one outer sid" i is, extending outwardly and a lateral pin Z ex riding war tween the sides of the, g

The leaves of the signal y 2 5 Said .:;leavesrare loosel mounted within the'hon ngqnzstheiapiiiot The leaf m is provided ith; slots m .2 leaf n with slots 11., n 0', 0 and the leaf p wit s the leaves are in normaar ctl e: positibm' .H. 1. 35. the slots will be superposed upon each other as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fixed on the outer side of the leaf 7) is a small plate provided with oppositely extending pins 8, t. See Fig. 5.

The pin 8 extends inwardly through the superposed slots m n 0 and p and its outer end projects into the circular groove h. The pin t extends outwardly through a bayonet slot uin the adjacent side of the housing 2'. Furthermore, the lateral pin Z of the housing i is located so as to extend 5 through the slots m, n, 0 and p.

The periphery of the housing 2' is partially open, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so as to allow the leaves to have a slight relative rotary movement with respect to each other 0 and the housing. This movement permits the leaves to assume a fan-like shape.

Fixed on one side of the casing, a, is a bearing '0, in which is clamped one end of a tubular, flexibl conduit to. The other end '95 of this conduit is fixed to the end of a cylin- I drical bearing a, which is clamped to the steering wheel column 3 by the clamp 2. A reci'procable plunger 72. movable within the bearing .2, is provided with an operating finger 4, and a transmission wire 5, longitudinally movable within the stationary conduit 20, has one end fixed to the plunger 2, and the other end to the pin in of the housing i. See Fig. 3. v

The general operation of this signaling device is as follows:

Normally the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 4:, the leaves being folded into vertical position within the casing a. To set; 110

the signal, the plunger 2 is pulled out to the position shown in Fig. 1. This movement causes a pull to be exerted on the wire 5, and,

as a consequence, the housing z will be rotated clockwise through an angle equal to the central angle of the circular groove h,

- leaf m a slight distance before contacting with the end of the slot n, whereupon theleaf n will be rotated also, the operation progressing until the pin 8 contacts with the end of the groove 12,. The leaveswill then be arranged in a fan-like form as shown in Fig. 1, and form a conspicuous signal to in- 'dicate that the machine is-about to stop or turn. In the construction shown, a white hand is painted on the red background of the leaves, and this renders the signal very eflective for the purpose of automobile sig- .."3, 1 1aling. However, for railway, or other sighal work, other forms and configurations of l aves may be used. I

I claim:

1. A signaling device comprising a pivot member, a plurality of parallel leaves mounted loosely on the pivot member, said leaves being provided with progressively graded slots so located that when the leaves are superposed the correspondingends ofthe slots will be in alinement, a member revoluble about the pivot member, said member projecting through-the slots, means for revolving the lnember about its pivot, and

means for limiting the degree of such revolution.

2. A signaling device comprising a hollow casing, a housing pivoted in said casing, a plurality of parallel leaves mounted loosely on the pivot of the housing, said leaves being provided with progressivelygraded slots so located that When the leaves are all superposed the corresponding ends of the slots will be in alinement, a lateral pin member secured to said housing, said member projecting through the slots, means for rotating the housing about its pivot, andmeans for limiting the degree of such revolution.

RYOTARO NOBUOKA. 

